


When Natural Causes Kill

by sophoklesworld



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Angst, Ficlet, Hurt!Cas, Hurt!Sam, Implied Destiel - Freeform, M/M, One Shot, dean is sick, hurt!Dean
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-10
Updated: 2016-01-10
Packaged: 2018-05-13 02:40:27
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,546
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5691538
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sophoklesworld/pseuds/sophoklesworld
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <i>The explosion was heart-rending.</i>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>  <i>Sam’s bones where rattling, and he was smashed head first into the Impala.</i><br/><i>The heat crashed into him like another bomb. It was all encompassing, and the only thing on his mind was Dean.</i></p>
            </blockquote>





	When Natural Causes Kill

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Shadowcat221b](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shadowcat221b/gifts), [prismalicht](https://archiveofourown.org/users/prismalicht/gifts).



> This is for my lovely friend [Shadowcat221b](http://archiveofourown.org/users/Shadowcat221b/pseuds/Shadowcat221b).  
> Because you still have to wait for your Christmas present...  
> And to [buntesLicht](http://archiveofourown.org/users/buntesLicht) because you were a big help!
> 
>  
> 
> I hope you enjoy reading!

The explosion was heart-rending.

 

Sam’s bones where rattling, and he was smashed head first into the Impala.

The heat crashed into him like another bomb. It was all encompassing, and the only thing on his mind was Dean.

Dean had been behind Sam when they ran out of the house, away from the bomb.

Sam’s face felt broken. His ribs, too. And he was burning up alive in the waves of heat pressing into him.

Dean.

He had been behind Sam. He had been behind Sam and yelling for him to _run faster._ Because Dean always made sure Sam was safe.

Dean had been behind Sam.

Many steps behind Sam.

Dean.

It was the only thing, Sam could think of when he lost consciousness.

 

* * *

 

According to the doctors, Sam had been waking up a couple of times, but didn’t stay conscious for long, before he fell unconscious again. Sam didn’t remember, that he had woken up before, but the doctors said, he had always asked for Dean.

Now, Sam was awake and could think again. Even though his head hurt like hell, and his back had second degree burns, all he cared about was Dean.

“Doctor, please! I am breathing, I am alive, the rest doesn’t matter. I just wanna know _where my brother is_!”

“Mr. Dixon. I need you to stay calm, please.”

Sam was thrown off by the name, until he remembered that they had fake I.D.s with them.

“You cannot see your brother right now. He has severe burns, and is currently in surgery.”

After a moment he added, “One more thing, Mr. Dixon. Your brother, — he held this in his hand. Even though he was unconscious when the ambulance came, he held on to it. I think, we should give this to you. I assume he would want you to keep it safe.”

 

* * *

 

It’s been two weeks since the explosion.

Two weeks of Dean being in surgery and ICU.

Sam had only seen him from outside his room, through the window.

Dean was heavily bandaged with his third and fourth degree burns and one broken arm.

His face was relatively undamaged by the fire, compared to his back and legs.

  
Now, after two weeks was the day that they put Dean in a room with Sam. The doctors were not really happy about it but Sam was adamant they did.

 

Two weeks since the explosion and Dean hadn’t woken up once.

 

Two weeks of Sam calling and praying.

 

Two weeks, and still no answer from Cas.

 

* * *

 

“He is getting worse, Mr. Dixon. These severe burns take away too many dead skin cells, the skin and flesh is exposed to too many pathogens. I am sorry, Mr. Dixon, but burns like this can lead to death, even weeks after it exposure.”

Three weeks. It’s been three weeks since the incident and Castiel still hadn’t answered.

Sam was on the verge of doing something really stupid. Like calling Crowley about a deal.

 

* * *

 

It’s been four weeks.

Sam pressed the call button on his phone, directly followed by the hang up button. This is what he did for three days straight.

He still hoped, Cas would finally listen to his prayers. Because there was no sign of God listening. Dean was still getting worse. His immune system failed to withstand the rush of bacteria penetrating his skin.

 

What good did it do, if Sam waited any longer for Cas to arrive, if Crowley was just a phone call away?

Dean wouldn’t get better. People never did, at this stage.

And Dean was getting sicker and skinnier. And he never woke up.

 

It wasn’t helping that Sam sat at his bed every day, watching him like a hawk.

He cringed, every time Dean coughed, winced every time Dean whimpered.

This couldn't go on.

He knew Dean would die without help. And he knew who could help.

If his first choice didn’t choose to deem them worthy of his help, didn’t even come for the person he _loves_ — well, he would have to go with choice two.

 

Taking a deep breath, he pressed call, for the final time.

 

* * *

 

Crowley stood at the foot of Dean’s bed, with an arrogant and uninterested attitude that made Sam sick. His brother was dying and he had to deal with this jackass preening and being happy about this. You would’ve thought, a truce was making Crowley less prone to excitement about one of their deaths.

 

Sam had talked the doctors into letting him and Dean leave. He was able to argue, that if he had to die, wouldn't it be better, if he could at least die at home? And couldn’t his family grief at home?

He sold the story and they were discharged.

 

“Okay, how do we do this?”, he asked Crowley.

  
“Oh, Moose. You know _exactly_ how this works.”

Sam gnashed his teeth and wished he could bleach his mouth only thinking of it.

 

“So the deal”, Crowley starts, slowly, examining his fingernails, “is to save your brother. For what, Moose? Your _soul_? Tell me, why would I do that? So that Squirrel comes after me again? you wanna play that same old game of cat and mouse? I don’t think so, Sam. Not this time.”

 

Sam hated Crowley. Hated him with every piece of his mind, with the very core of his heart and all of his soul.

 

“Not my soul. Something better. A Grace.”

 

This made Crowley perk up. Of course it would. Sam had counted on it.

  
“A Grace.” He sounded curious but careful.

“Yes.”

“And who would this Grace possibly belong to?”, Crowley asked sweetly.

“Does that matter?”

Crowley raised his eyebrows. He knew.

Sam knew, that Crowley knew who the Grace belonged to.

“Show me”, he ordered.

  
Sam looked at him, as Crowley held out his hand, expectantly.

Slowly, he reached up to his throat and pulled out a necklace under his shirt. Attached to it, was a small vial with blue pulsing essence in it — the Grace.

Castiel’s Grace.

In the vial Sam had held onto for four weeks, since the doctors gave it to him.

The vial they got in exchange for the explosion.

 

Sam lifted the vial, but didn’t pull it off his neck, didn’t hand it over.

 

“The deal”, he reminded Crowley, as he started to reach over, and let the vial fall back down under his shirt.

 

“You want Dean’s life in exchange for _this_?” Crowley asked, maybe even a little stunned to which extent Sam was willing to go.

  
“Yes.”

Castiel was not here. Castiel hadn’t come. He hadn’t been listening. This was what Sam needed to do.

 

“Well, then. A kiss to the exchange of Dean Winchester’s life and this Grace.”

Crowley opened his arms in an inviting gesture, waiting for Sam to close the distance and kiss him.  
Sam was gonna be sick. Crowley grinned at him, that bastard because he knew exactly how much Sam liked that idea.

He looked over to Dean. He lay in bed, still completely bandaged, never once waking up. _Get over yourself, Sam. Is Dean supposed to die of a burn? When there’s demons and other monsters and angels out there? Is he supposed to die like this? Just because you couldn’t seal this deal with a kiss?_

With a deep breath, Sam took a step closer to Crowley. He screwed up his eyes and pressed his lips together as he was closing up the last few inches between them. He could feel Crowley’s grin, when he leaned down.

 

_BOOM!_

 

Sam jumped back, glad to be off the hook for now, and turned around, to find the door being pulled from the hinges.

In the doorway stood Cas, like a knight in his shiny armour.

“Cas”, breathed Sam and almost collapsed, because he was _so_ relieved.

 

Cas had a bloodied face. In fact, his whole head was bloodied. A picture of one of those horrible instruments of angel torture flashed through Sam’s mind and he winced.

  
“Sam.”

Cas voice sounded broken, just as broken as Castiel looked.

“Where have you been? Are you alright?”

“Yes. I am gonna be fine.” Cas strode past Sam, cornering Crowley.

“Cas, what’s going on?”  
“Crowley had me captured. He was working with Efram and Jonah — angels. They were feeding me a Grace, so they could torture me. I managed to escape — Hannah helped me.” Angel blade out, he closed in on Crowley.  
“Now, I think this is my cue. Goodbye, my friends.” Crowley said, and vanished.

 

Castiel turned back around to face Sam.

“I am sorry, Sam. I heard every of your prayers. I wish I would’ve been able to come earlier.”

His eyes roamed over Dean’s body.

“I wish I could do something for him, Sam. But the Grace in me is fading. It was barely strong enough to get me here.” Castiel’s voice was pained. Thick with sadness and worry.

 

“Cas! You can help!”

 

Sam pulled the necklace over his head, and handed it over to Castiel.

His face lit up with astonishment, pure joy and gratitude, as he recognised the vial and carefully took it.

“Yes. I will heal Dean”, Castiel said before he opened the vial and a light brighter than a thousand suns exploded in the room.

**Author's Note:**

> So... I am not sorry about the pain.
> 
> I had the idea while studying Biology and learning stuff about burns the bacteria... so, yeah.
> 
> R&R are always welcome:)


End file.
